Crocked Cougars put up a fight - surprise for league leaders as Cougars give them a game

Tom, Kieran, Jamie, TJ, Brendan, Atakan, Max, William and Nathan lined up for the start of the match, with the Squirrels team lining up in pristine black and white (they had been itching to wear their new away kit!). The game started with gusto, and very quickly the Squirrels had won a corner, followed by another, but Nathan had the ball from the second easily covered. The Cougars made a break but the Squirrels countered and all too soon it was 1-0, as the Squirrels sliced through the Cougars defence like butter. At this stage the Cougars’ watching friends and family had a feeling of foreboding, as everyone was well aware that the Squirrels were an excellent team with 4 wins under their belts and the top spot in the league already, compared to the Cougars reputation of being the strongest team in the league (i.e. holding everyone else up from the bottom...). The boys, however clearly didn’t have any such fears, as they were soon on the attack with some great passing moves linking Brendan, Kieran, Jamie, Atakan and TJ at the Squirrels end of the pitch. So the first half progressed, with some great football played by both sides.

The match continued with both teams defending well and going on the counter attack, and as the Cougars gained in confidence, time ticked by with no more goals from the Squirrels. Due to the various injuries and cup match tiredness, there were a fair number of changes in this half - Jake came on for TJ, Jayden came on for Jamie, Luis came on for Jayden, Joe came on for Jake - but despite this, the team pressed on, mounted some great  attacks and were resilient in defence. For one of Kieran’s shots on goal it seemed like the ball was destined to go in and provide an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be – so near yet so far! The Squirrels however, were able to make their attacks count more than the Cougars and eventually the Cougars conceded a second goal. Apart from the two goals, the play had been pretty even in this half of the match and had Kieran’s goal gone in it might have made all the difference. Atakan in particular was outstanding in both attack and defence, really showing what he could do, and even when his Mum got very excited and started shouting more and more encouragement, he still maintained his composure and politely put his finger to his lips (remember how the teachers used to do that in Reception?!). Tom was as dependable as ever in pulling off the last gasp defensive moves that kept the team in the game, with sterling work from Max, Jayden, Luis, Brendan, William and Jake at various times ensuring that the score didn’t spiral out of control. Good advice from Nathan (“don’t go giving away cheap fouls like that in front of goal!”) and some crucial possession in midfield from ‘all action’ Brendan, as well as Atakan and Joe meant that the half ended with the score at 2-0 to the Squirrels. Although the Cougars hadn’t managed to keep a clean sheet, all things considered, 2-0 was a very respectable score indeed!

The second half began as the first half had finished, with the teams moving up and down the pitch alternating attacking and defensive moves with midfield being the battleground for possession. More passing moves were being strung together by the Cougars, for example, Max, Joe and Kieran worked together to enable Kieran to have another shot on goal, in addition William and Max were linking up well with Atakan, who had another couple of shots on goal in this period. The pressure was pretty intense as the teams battled for supremacy in the second half, with the relentless pressure from the Squirrels eventually telling as they scored goal number 3. The Cougars however struck back with some great work by Jamie, Max, Atakan and Kieran combining to provide a wonderful goal for Kieran – it certainly wasn’t going all the Squirrel’s way in this half, despite even more team changes! (Jayden on for Luis, Jamie on for Joe). With the score at 3-1 the team regrouped and surged forward again and again, Kieran spearheading the attacks for the Cougars, but the Squirrels defended well and were biding their time to pounce on any opportunity. There was a heart stopping moment during an attack by the Squirrels when the ball rolled under Nathan’s arms and headed towards the back of the net, only to be deflected just wide by the post – another close call! The Cougars defence were immense in this part of the game, pushing back and neutralising more of the Squirrels counter attacks. Jake’s boot had an accidental close encounter with the face of one of the Squirrels players, however there was no real harm done and play recommenced following apologies and checks. The woodwork alone stopped the next shot from the Squirrels, as they kept testing the defensive wall of William, Jayden, Tom and Max bolstered by Brendan, Jake, Atakan and Jamie. TJ came back on and quickly fed a ball through to Jamie to enable another of Jamie’s shots on goal, which was caught by the keeper. The Squirrels goal kick meant that they were instantly at the other end of the pitch having a shot at Nathan – a lovely looping ball that could easily have deceived, but Nathan was up to the challenge and tipped it skilfully over the top of the crossbar and away to safety. More defensive cover was provided by Tom and Jayden as the Squirrels, sensing their time to score more goals was diminishing, pressed ahead and piled on the pressure. An unfortunate fumble from Nathan in the goalmouth meant that the ball ended up in the back of the Cougars net once more, but it was the last goal of the game – certainly no cricket scores here! A superb double save from Nathan was next, and a shot glancing off the woodwork followed as the Squirrels tried to finish with more goals. The match ended with the score at 4-1 to the delight of Cougars players and supporters alike – real improvement could be seen, despite some tough opposition.

This was a great performance by the Cougars – they are improving all the time – the next time the teams meet it could be even more competitive! Allan Hodges, the Squirrels manager specifically came over to talk to the team, which was very much appreciated by all. He told the team that this was the toughest match that the Squirrels have had so far – the team played for each other, fought for the ball and played good football whenever they could. He also said that the scores from previous matches were not reflective of the Cougars’ ability and standard of play and that they, their managers, friends and family should all be extremely proud of their performance. (Which of course they were!)

There were so many good performances this match it is a good job that the boys vote for the Man of the Match themselves – it would be a hard job for the managers to pick one person. There was an excellent all round performance from Atakan in both attack and defence, outstanding defence from Tom, great work from Max, William, Jake, Luis and Jayden, tireless running and chasing down from Brendan, as well as great attacking play from Jamie, TJ and Joe. Kieran in particular was superb pushing forward and thoroughly deserved his goal – a pity the other one didn’t go in. Finally, Nathan was a star between the posts with another outstanding performance.  All this with over half the team either injured, fatigued or unwell – imagine what we can do at full strength!!

 In addition to the usual awards, this week saw the first of a new award, the Managers Unsung Hero, which will be given only once each half-term. This is an award for those people that the management team want to recognise for their contribution to the team, be it a consistent level of high performance, great improvement or for being such an integral part of the team that they make a tough job look easy.

Managers Unsung Hero: William for his consistently good performances, continuing improvement and solid contribution to the back line

Man of the Match: Nathan for his great performance in goal – great catching, confident going out, superb saves and much improved kicking and distribution - he is also renowned for his excellent communication with the rest of the team at the top of his voice!

Crunchie Moment: Tom for heading the ball off the line so many times and keeping the opposition score down

Rolo Moment: Atakan for the shush to his enthusiastic Mum!